interesting for the united states. our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, is traveling with secretary of state john kerry. tonight, they are in doha, where andrea is with us live. and, andrea, what about the u.s. piece of this and what's been the early reaction? >> reporter: well, first of all, we are talking about a $50 billion, billion with a b, two-way trade with the united states, most of it oil. venezuela is the fourth largest exporter to the u.s. of oil and it is the largest exporter of oil in the hemisphere. so, this is a very big deal. we've had no relationship to speak of, as you just said. for two years, we haven't even had an ambassador there. the white house has scrambled and has issued a statement tonight saying, "at this challenging time of president hugo chavez's passing, the united states reaffirms its support for the venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the venezuelan government. as venezuela begins a new

chapter in its history," the white house said, "the united states remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for human rights." there is supposed to be, under the constitution of venezuela, another election in 30 days. chavez was only sworn in on january 10th. he was re-elected in october. so, this does reopen the possibility for the opposition, but the designated heir is the vice president and the vice president certainly signaled today that he does not want a better relationship. only today, he expelled two u.s. diplomats, accusing them of spying and also said that the u.s. was responsible for chavez's is cancer. so that tells you that we do have some rough sledding ahead. brian? >> andrea mitchell in the middle east from doha, traveling with the secretary of state tonight. andrea, thanks. and now to the news in this country today, starting with wall street, which today set a new all-time record. the dow jones industrial average rallied 125 points today to finish up at 14,253.

that shatters the old record from '07. the blue chip stocks have now made back, in effect, all the losses from that scary plunge from the '08 financial meltdown. but this is happening, remember, with a nation struggling, in the meantime, with massive debt, with 15 million of our fellow citizens on food stamps. our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: if, like many americans, you swore off the stock market a few years back and haven't returned, you have missed a record-breaking run. >> good morning, history in the making here on wall street. we have the dow at a record high. all the losses of the financial crisis erased. >> reporter: but is wall street totally disconnected from main street and a still struggling economy? in sacramento, floyd rothenburger is closing two of his three barbecue restaurants. with five major area employers shutting down, his business is drying up. >> you're talking, like, 3, 4,000 people out of business in the last three or four months. you know, when the sales are down and the people are not

coming, nobody got any money right now and everybody is just kind of scared of everything. >> reporter: it's a similar story across much of the country. unemployment remains stuck at 7.9%. gas prices are averaging $3.73 a gallon. washington remains in gridlock and the sequester has now kicked in. yet following many rounds of layoffs, corporate profits have never been higher. the fed is keeping interest rates at record lows, and by comparison, the rest of the world looks a lot riskier. >> and as a result, our stock market is probably the best in the world right now. and that's why people are putting their money on wall street and sending us to new all-time highs. >> reporter: when you look at the dow jones industrial average, remember, that's a lot of retirement money at work. after bottoming out in march 2009 amid the economic crisis, the market has risen 117%. if you had $10,000 invested in a basket of dow stocks, it would be worth roughly $21,700 today. but many money pros say it might be risky for mom and pop

investors to jump back in all at once. >> you want to avoid buying emotionally, which means buying high and selling low. and the best way to do that is to dollar cost average your money into the market every single month. >> reporter: yeah. and, of course, that is very challenging for people who are close to retirement who don't want to take big investment gambles right now and make a big mistake. brian? >> tom costello on this big day for the markets. tom, thanks. changing coming soon to an airport near u. ever since the 9/11 hijackers used box cutters to force down aircraft, the tsa has banned passengers from using knives from boarding the planes with them. now it's changing course, allowing some, but not all knives, and larger items, like golf club and ski poles, and if you must, pool cues, whiffle ball bats and lacrosse sticks. nbc's pete williams has more on all of this from washington tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. tsa says this will relieve the

screeners from having to search for small knives and other objects that cannot do catastrophic dame to an airplane and to focus instead on the much more serious hazards. starting next month, tsa will partly lift the restriction that's been in place for 11 years, blocking passengers from bringing knives on board. it's an effort, says tsa, to devote more attention to the most serious threats. >> we are trying to focus on the highest risks, that being the non-metallic improvised explosive devices. and we don't want these small knives, pocket knives or the sporting equipment, to be a distraction. >> reporter: the change also brings the u.s. in line with the international security standard, allowing knifes with blades up to 6 centimeters long. under the new rules, passengers can carry on knifes with folding blades that are no longer than about two and a third inches. that's six centimeters and blades no wider than half an inch. it will still ban knifes with blades that are fixed or lock

into place or that have molded handles, so a knife like this would be banned because the blade locks into place when it's folded out. box cutters and razor blades will still be banned, too. another change will allow passengers could carry on hockey or lacrosse sticks, a pool cue, ski poles and up to two golf clubs. that's another change to conform with the international carry-on standards. the rule is welcomed news to the estimated 35 million americans who carry a pocket knife, but several groups representing flight attendants say it puts them at higher risk. >> flight attendants across america are absolutely not going to stand silently by while knives are reintroduced on board the aircraft. we believe this is a slippery slope. what will be the next weapon that can come on board? >> reporter: passengers will also be allowed to carry on souvenir baseball bats, any bat up to 24 inches long, and weighing up to 24 ounces. this all goes into effect april 25th and the ban on liquids will not change, brian. >> can't wait to find out where

people are going to put golf club and hockey sticks on board a flight these days. pete williams from the tsa line at washington national airport. an incredible moment in the air above new york yesterday when a passenger jet on final approach into jfk radioed the tower that they had just seen a drone in the skies near the airport, uncomfortably close to their aircraft. as you might imagine, it has raised a lot of concerns. the fbi is now involved. our report on this tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: authorities say around 1:15 monday afternoon in the crowded skies over new york city, the pilot of al italia flight 608, on final approach to kennedy airport after a flight from rome, radioed an eye-raising fyi. >> kennedy tower, just for your information, we just saw a little drone. >> i'm sorry. what did you say? >> we saw a drone. >> roger. what altitude did you see that aircraft? >> about 1,500.

>> reporter: the fbi described the object as black, no wider than three feet, with four propellers, passing within just 200 feet of the jet in airspace under air traffic control. the fbi stays does not suspect terrorism and is asking the public's help in finding the unmanned craft and its operator. >> it's the kind of threat that could be a threat to the aircraft in the future, similar to a lot of the laser pointing incidents we have heard about. these things haven't yet caused harm, but don't want to wait to the point where they do cause harm. >> reporter: the plane landed safely and did not need to take evasive action to avoid collision, the faa confirmed. >> the risk is substantial. you have this object that can impact the plane and do significant damage to the wing structure or the cockpit, incapacitate a pilot. the list of things that could go wrong terribly quickly is really very endless. >> reporter: the federal government allows hobbyists to fly these unmanned aircraft up to 400 feet and law enforcement is using them, which has raised some privacy concerns.

but as their use grows, so do worries about air safety. >> clear to land. we'll look for the drone. slowing to 180 knots, jetblue 906. >> reporter: increasingly popular technology finding its way into unexpected and potentially dangerous territory. ron mott, nbc news, new york. and attention all those with plans to fly into or out of chicago o'hare. another big and punishing snowstorm making its way across the country tonight. bad weather could have verying a lot of ground. rain in the south. but heavy snow further on up north. winter weather watches and warnings stretching across a huge area from eastern minnesota all the way to the appalachian mountains. nbc's john yang with us from michigan avenue in chicago. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. in the chicago area, already about eight and a half inches on the ground in some places. this is the most snow chicago has seen since the blizzard of 2011. the fierce late-season storm is pummeling the midwest, making a

snowy mess on sidewalks and highways. >> we could have blowing snow and that makes it tough. >> reporter: this morning, a tractor trailer slid off a snow-covered wisconsin interstate, plunging into the river. authorities said the driver died and a passenger was missing. for air travelers, a giant headache. nationwide, airlines cancelled about 1300 flights, more than 1,000 of them at chicago's midway and o'hare airports. >> it started at midway airport, and that flight was canceled. so i rebooked out of o'hare to kansas city and now i'm here waiting. >> reporter: the snow's falling at a rate of as much as an inch and a half an hour. the storm's snow accumulations are impressive. 7.1 inches in minneapolis. 8.6 in newhampton, iowa. and 15 inches in starkweather, north dakota. experts say when it melts, it could ease the persistent drought. >> i'm glad to see it, because the lakes and rivers were so shallow. >> reporter: it may be less welcome along the jersey shore, hit hard by hurricane sandy.

parts of brick township, new jersey, are under a voluntary evacuation order as officials prepare for coastal flooding. here in chicago, the snow's not expected to taper off until about midnight tonight, so road crews will be working all night to get ready for the morning rush. brian? >> john yang, michigan avenue in chicago. john, thanks. let's go on out into the suburbs. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is in bolingbrook, illinois, tonight. and, mike, all the snow they can handle in some spots. >> reporter: you got that right. let's show you where the storm heads tonight and tomorrow, brian, into the mid-atlantic and d.c. it will likely start as rain and then change to snow. now as the storm hits the coast, as john mentioned, big issues on the jersey shore. winds could gust to 60 miles an hour. we are going to have beach erosion and coastal flooding from maryland and delaware up to cape cod. the snow gets into boston late tomorrow night and wednesday. snow totals? west of d.c. and the mountains, a foot or more. in d.c., five to eight inches. they have already cancelled 1,000 flights in washington ahead of the storm.

they have only had an inch and a half of snow in washington so far. in new york city, an inch, maybe two inches of slushy snow in midtown manhattan. boston gets six inches or more. and back here in chicago, brian, they are remembering last march where it hit 88 days. not the case this time around. back to you. >> mike, thanks. and we are worried about our beloved and battered new jersey shore around here. mike seidel in bolingbrook, illinois. still ahead for us tonight, life and death decisions. the difficult decisions underway in so many families caring foraging parents after that heartbreaking 911 call that started it all. and later, against all odds, an american hero taking the field with some childhood heroes of his own.

a lot of our viewers speaking up about our story last night about the 911 operator begging for someone to save a dying woman, to no avail, sparked a lot of conversations as well among families across this country, matters of life and death. our report tonight from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy

snyderman. >> reporter: ann and dick field are in good health and enjoying retirement near denver, colorado. but at ages 83 and 85, they are not taking any chances when it comes to detailing exactly what they want for end-of-life care. >> we sent every one of the kids a notarized letter saying when we preferred to have them use dnr, if there is no quality of life. >> reporter: because they are in an independent living facility, they are not required to provide medical directives to the staff. but like a lot of residents here, they have what's called a file of life, detailing their medical conditions and instructions in case of emergency. these are all safeguards, experts say, against medical intervention that may be unwelcome or unnecessary. >> if you don't have advanced directives in place and you have -- your heart stops beating, for instance, we, as physicians and nurses, have no choice but to do everything to keep you alive.

>> reporter: senior community living in the united states consists of three levels, all with different regulations and requirements. independent living is most like your own home, meaning no significant caregiving or medical services are provided. assisted living offers some nursing, personal care and support for daily tasks. residents are required to provide medical directives. and in skilled nursing facilities, there is full-time medical care with staff on hand 'round-the-clock. >> people really need to find out what services are offered so they can make a decision on whether or not that's the best place to live. >> reporter: according to the assisted living federation of america, there are important questions to ask before moving into any type of senior communities. what personal care and medical services do they provide? what training and qualifications do the staff have? and under what circumstances would you have to leave? for instance, if your health

situation changes or if you need more help. ask the tough questions and read the fine print before you interview anyone. and then have those conversations, the difficult ones, about end of life, the directives, and, frankly, what everybody wants, brian, while people are young and healthy enough to engage in those conversations. >> that's how this story resonates. nancy, thank you, as always. we are back in a moment with the news about a late-night television host stepping away, for a time at least, from the anchor desk. there's this island -- and it's got super-cute kangaroos.

barrow island has got rare kangaroos. ♪ chevron has been developing energy here for decades. we need to protect their environment. we have a strict quarantine system to protect the integrity of the environment. forty years on, it's still a class-a nature reserve. it's our job to look after them. ...it's my job to look after it. ♪ the white house has been accused of capitalizing on the urgency and depth of these mandatory budget cuts called for by the so-called sequester, while other aspects of government hum along, fully funded. well, today, they announced tours of the white house will be canceled, effective march 9th, until further notice. but texas republican congressman louie gomer called them out on it and immediately counterproposed an amendment which would ban funding to transport the president to the golf course until public tours

of the white house resume. born in 1936, the bay bridge, which connects san francisco and oakland, has always been considered kind of a drab, industrial-looking cousin to the golden gate. well, tonight, it takes on a new personality, thanks to a kind of l.e.d. artwork project. we got to see a test of it. that will bathe the bridge in light starting now and for the next two years. absolutely beautiful. and jon stewart is stepping away from the "daily show," not forever, but four months while he goes overseas to direct a film, called "rosewater," based on a screenplay he wrote. john oliver will cover while stewart is gone, provided viewers can understand his thick british accent. this proves once and for all what jon really wanted to do was direct. up next here tonight, a wounded warrior, battling back, setting his sights on the big leagues.

as baseball fans know, spring training is under way with a lot of hopes and dreams and contracts on the line. this spring, one of the players on one of the fields stands out because of his injuries, also because of the purple heart he keeps at home. he fought for his country.

now he is trying out for a big dream. nbc's miguel almaguer reports from arizona. >> 647. >> reporter: daniel "doc" jacobs should have never made it this far. while the 27-year-old might be a long shot to make the big leagues, he's always defied the odds. >> i was fighting for my life and now i'm fighting for a spot on the dodgers. >> reporter: it was impossible, they said, for him to ever play ball again. >> i had a lot of doctors tell me i'd never walk again, i'd never run again. and so that, like, fueled a fire in me. >> reporter: seven years ago in iraq, his humvee hit an ied, his body was shattered. doc lost his leg and part of his hand. the purple heart recipient would undergo 50 surgeries in two years, later becoming one of the first navy amputees to return to active duty. >> it's a story of pride. it's a story of a man who believed in what he was doing.

>> reporter: and on his field of dreams, he was given no special treatment, no breaks. >> 636. not bad for a one-legged man, right? >> reporter: jacobs also co-founded vet sports, a non-profit dedicated to getting wounded warriors active again. >> the mission here is to prove that disabled veterans are out doing good things. >> so how did it feel to be out here today? >> it was amazing really. >> reporter: doc made it all the way into the final round of the tryouts. in the end, he didn't make the team, but he did make quite an impression. doc was asked to throw out the first pitch at this exhibition game. he met the men he idolized as a boy. but it was these baseball legends who called jacobs the real american hero, an inspiration on both the battlefield and now the ball field. miguel almaguer, nbc news, glendale, arizona. that's our broadcast on a

tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. right now at 6:00, we're tracking the storm and we'll let you know how much rain will pick up and how long this will last coming up in a few minutes. >> i never thought it would happen to my daughter, my baby. i never thought -- >> new at 6:00, a dog targeted. how a south bay got too personal. >> replacing a south bay leader who stepped down after an arrest and admitting to a gambling problem.

good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. he got paid to help put criminals behind bars but tonight a santa clara county forensic toxicologist sits in jail facing 18 counts of molesting a young girl. it has the d.a.'s office scrambling to assess its potential impact on key evidence and more than two dozen pending criminal cases. chief investigator tony koval kovaleski broke the case. >> reporter: 44-year-old steven joseph joyner was arrest ed mor than a month ago. his alleged crimes not reported until a viewer called the nbc bay area investigative unit. police reports say the criminal investigation started after the allegations were brought up at the girl's school. this is joyner's mug shot. he remains behind bars facing 18 criminal counts including aggravated sexual assault and lewd and lascivious acts with a

girl under the aiming of 14. >> it's horrible. it's horrible for any child victim of this kind of crime. >> reporter: because joyner worked in the county's forensics department, the district attorney's office has asked the state attorney general to prosecute the case. joyner worked as a forensic toxicologist. he regularly testified in criminal cases for the d.a. after testing blood for alcohol and drugs. >> made sure that for every pending case we are retesting every blood sample mr. joyner had tested so that we're not in a position where we have to call him as a witness. >> reporter: joyner is being held without bond. joyner admitted to police investigators he had touched the girl but claimed it was unintentional. >> it appears the district attorney's office is concerned his credibility has been compromised? >> he's been charged with a crime. he's in custody and we're not going to call him as a witness going forward.